Why Fear Of The Truth Imprisons Us

Why would we have fear of the truth, especially when we have often heard from several sources that the truth sets us free? Let’s explore this a bit because this just may provide a gateway to the freedom we truly seek.

Although I have discussed why do people feel fear previously, let’s now discuss how it gets in the way of living an authentic life based on reality and not illusion. We may just discover some things that we never thought existed within our system of belief.

Fear of the Truth is Not So Obvious

“Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones.” –– Thich Nhat Hanh —

I am sure for the most part we feel we do not have any fear of the truth. We much rather know what is actually transpiring than base our decisions on false premises.

Consciously this may be true, but there is a much deeper aspect to this. Within our subconsciousness, we have built defense mechanisms against the very truth we say that we desire or prefer.

It is this undercurrent of fear that keeps us stuck. We are much more afraid of certainty than uncertainty.

We all have blind spots within our perception of reality of which we are unaware. It is this unawareness that empowers our illusionary view of the world.

We project our ideas based on past experience and not present evidence. This creates a future based on the past and not the present.the

Actually, there is a psychological term for fear of the truth. It is called alethophobia. It’s an aversion to the truth or unwillingness to accept the facts.

We fear letting go of our established defenses due to past painful experiences. The discomfort and vulnerability seem like too high a price to pay.

Challenging long-held beliefs is not easy. We would rather avoid or deny rather than confront the truth.

Fear of the Truth is not Uncommon

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” — Plato —

It is not uncommon to cling to false perceptions and illusions rather than have our ego offended. We created our ego-based self and we will defend it at all cost.

Because of our past conditioning, we are convinced that what we perceive is the truth. We are not aware it is a self-projection.

Our inner freedom is at stake when we refuse to increase our awareness because of our fear of the truth. This has been a common theme over time.

In fact, in the 16th century, new scientific findings were ignored as people were convinced that the Earth was the center of the universe. A few centuries later Charles Darwain’s findings were ignored, and Sigmund Freud was criticized for emphasizing the role of our subconscious mind.

Why So Much Fear?

“All great truths begin as blasphemies.” — George Bernard Shaw —

It is extremely insulting to our ego to have built our life around certain premises and to be told that it is all an illusion that we created. It just doesn’t make sense and we are afraid of what we may find by looking.

When our assumptions are challenged we fear that our defences will crumble and we will be vulnerable. Even when we aren’t sure of what we are exactly afraid of, it seems better not to push back the veil.

Because of this fear studies have shown that many folks when confronted with exposure to corrected information refuse to change their minds. In fact, their resistance increases to the point of blocking out even the smallest segment of truth.

This revolt against reality restricts our learning process. Our fixed beliefs predominate. The cognitive dissonance that occurs when facts challenge our belief system is extremely frightening.

We are like children experiencing a nightmare. We unconsciously refuse to accept any data that does not fit our preconceived notions of reality.

This type of stubbornness keeps us imprisoned within an illusionary world. Fear of the truth is responsible for our feelings of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.

The good news is that there is a way out. Fortunately, the door swings open in both directions.

Eliminating Fear of the Truth

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” — Rosa Parks —

Let’s now take a few steps to eliminate this fear and liberate the truth that is being hidden away. Once we remove our resistance to confronting our fear we will discover that there really wasn’t anything to fear at all in the first place.

I am sure we have heard of the definition of fear as being “false evidence appearing real”. Well, that is a very good description of it.

If we really believed that, all fear would dissipate immediately. We are the ones using our own energy to keep it in place.

When we feel fearful for whatever reason at all, or even no reason, let the feeling do its thing. Be present by asking ourselves, “Am I present now?”, and then allowing ourselves to feel the fear and whatever thoughts and images may accompany it.

The truth is we have the power to decide in the present moment to move forward and take action. Even let the fear come along if it wants to but by taking action our focus is not on the fear but on getting done what we want to do.

We now embrace the truth by acknowledging what we accomplished regardless of how we may have felt. At this point, if we have not completely depleted the fear of any energy it has been feeding off of, we have certainly weakened its influence over us.

Now it’s just a matter of rinsing and repeating by focusing on what we desire or need to do and allowing the fear to diminish. From this point, the truth is our main consideration.

We have regained our freedom by accepting the truth in all areas of our lives. By doing this we are now living authentically with a purpose-driven mindset.

It has been said that all great truths go through three different stages prior to being recognized and accepted. First, they are ridiculed, then they are violently opposed, and finally, they are accepted as self-evident.

I encourage all of us to live and play full out by honoring our feelings whatever they are and be willing to experience and then let go of any thoughts and feelings that are not truth-based. Yes, it will take a bit of courage and inner work but the rewards are amazing.

We all deserve a life of happiness and joy where the fear of the truth is a thing of the past. Only we have the power to decide.

In Peace and Love within the Light,

Joseph William

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